_Ps. 51:5, 7, 10_—“_Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity; And in sin did my mother conceive me.... Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.... Create in me a clean heart, O God; And renew a right spirit within me_”; _Jer. 25:5_—“_Return ye now every one from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings_”; _Acts 2:38_—“_And Peter said unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ_”; _Rom. 2:4_—“_despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?_” Walden, The Great Meaning of _Metanoia_, brings out well the fact that “repentance” is not the true translation of the word, but rather “change of mind”; indeed, he would give up the word “repentance” altogether in the N. T., except as the translation of μεταμέλεια. The idea of μετάνοια is abandonment of sin rather than sorrow for sin,—an act of the will rather than a state of the sensibility. Repentance is participation in Christ’s revulsion from sin and suffering on account of it. It is repentance _from_ sin, not _of_ sin, nor _for_ sin—always ἀπό and ἔκ, never περί or ἐπί. The true illustrations of repentance are found in Job (_42:6_—“_I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes_”); in David (_Ps. 51:10_—“_Create in me a clean heart; And renew a right spirit within me_”); in Peter (_John 21:17_—“_thou knowest that I love thee_”); in the penitent thief (_Luke 23:42_—“_Jesus, remember me when thou comest in thy kingdom_”); in the prodigal son (_Luke 15:18_—“_I will arise and go to my Father_”). Repentance implies free will. Hence Spinoza, who knows nothing of free will, knows nothing of repentance. In book 4 of his Ethics, he says: “Repentance is not a virtue, that is, it does not spring from reason; on the contrary, the man who repents of what he has done is doubly wretched or impotent.” Still he urges that for the good of society it is not desirable that vulgar minds should be enlightened as to this matter; see Upton, Hibbert Lectures, 315. Determinism also renders it irrational to feel righteous indignation either at the misconduct of other people or of ourselves. Moral admiration is similarly irrational in the determinist; see Balfour, Foundations of Belief, 24.